Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance

Fair food for all Australians

Food Sovereignty: A social movement for a fair food system

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In the April-May 2013 issue of Arena Magazine, AFSA National Co-ordinator Nick Rose discusses the importance of food sovereignty and the People's Food Plan process for Australia.

[quote author="" image="http://afsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Food_Sovereignty_banner1.jpg" w="125" h="125" image_align=""]AFSA’s research shows that most Australians want something different to a food system controlled by two giant supermarkets and a handful of other less visible mega-corporations such as Cargill and Archer Daniels Midlands. National opinion surveys carried out by the Australia Institute over the past year have found the following:

 

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  • 75 per cent of Australians believe levels of supermarket concentration are excessive
  • 86 per cent say supporting our farmers to grow more, and 62 per cent say ‘protecting our best farmland from mining interests and suburban sprawl’, should be in the top two measures for guaranteeing our food security (only 5 per cent say ‘import more basic foods’)
  • Over 90 per cent say it is ‘very’ or ‘quite’ important to them that we have a thriving farming
  • sector and small-to-medium sized food businesses
  • 85 per cent want ‘support for local and regional food systems’ to be in the top two priorities of a National Food Plan.

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[button_link url="http://afsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/N-Rose-Arena-April-2013.pdf" target="blank" background="#98CC66"  style="icon-circle-arrow-right" title="Arena article" class="" id="" onclick=""] Read the full article[/button_link]

 

Media release: The UN officially endorses agroecology

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An important and timely new report released March 2011, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier de Schutter, has laid out a blue-print for how 9 billion people can be fed in accordance with the principles of both environmental sustainability, and social justice for the poorest people on earth.

The Report titled Agro-Ecology and the Right to Food, draws together an extensive body of scientific literature to show that agro-ecological modes of farming can achieve the three fundamental objectives of any food system:

  • to ensure that there is enough nutritious food for all;
  • to address levels of poverty and hunger by increasing the incomes of smallholder farmers; and
  • to practice an environmentally sustainable agriculture that doesn’t compromise the ability of future generations to meet their food needs.

The UN has declared that agroecological farming can double food production within 10 years, while mitigating climate change AND alleviating poverty.

The Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance welcomes the Report, as a vital and necessary contribution to the growing debate about food security in Australia, and the future of food and farming in this country.

In particular, we welcome Mr de Schutter's clear statement that the world already produces enough food to feed in excess of 10 billion people, when excessive waste, and grains diverted to factory farmed animals and biofuels, are taken into account.

Agroecology, a way to feed the world?

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June 22, 2010

BRUSSELS – On 21 and 22 June 2010, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, convened an international seminar aiming to take stock of the potential of agroecological approaches (agroforestry, mixed crop-livestock, biological pest control, intercropping, etc.) to meet global food security and save climate in 2050. Read more here.

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